School's Out.

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Natalie Young

10T22

p - H

SCHOOL'S OUT

   I wasn't keen on the idea from the start. But peer pressure is an awful thing. I felt as if I had no choice. Considering that I'm an easily frightened person, I should have guessed straight away that I would never fully recover from that night. Every time I'm alone in the dark I become panicky and fearful as I re-live the disturbing events which took place on the 17th of November, just one week ago. As I sit here in school, dragging myself through yet another monotonous maths lesson, with Mrs Webbe steadily scraping along the dilapidated blackboard with a tiny piece of blue chalk, I can still clearly picture the disconcerting images which congested this room only last week. Desperate for something to concentrate on other than algebra or multiplication, I notice the broken light on the ceiling which is occasionally flickering, and the memories begin flooding back once again....

   "I bet you couldn't do it. I know you - you're like a cat up a tree. You're afraid of everything. Bein' such a brain-box, I would've thought you'd understand that you can't just stroll through life being too nervous to do somethin' wrong. You have to do this."

I glanced briefly at her smug grin, but only for a second. I knew she was right. If I didn't bring myself down from my pedestal soon I was going to grow to be a senescent, sorrowful  widow; too terrified to even step onto the porch.

"Okay." I did not wish to over-compliment her self-satisfaction. "I'll do it. But that's it! I mean it Jen. No more, 'kay?" For my best friend, she was certainly pushy. She nudged my arm vigorously and winked.

"This'll be great. You'll see." I glared at her reluctantly. She'd won.

   Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I hopped out of bed and slumped onto the floor. I reached over and knocked the alarm clock to my feet. I glimpsed at the time and let out a lazy groan - I was late.

"You ready?" I could hear Jen's screaching even though she was waiting outside.

"I know. I'm late. just give me a couple of secs!" I sighed heavily as I grabbed hold of my coat, carelessly stumbling over a pile of discarded knickers on the carpet and dived out of the door to meet Jen.

   Gasping for breath in the bitterly cold air, I spun round and stared up at my bedroom window, which was constantly becoming further and further away as I moved at a steady pace down the street. This was it. The morning of the dare. I had millions of terrible thoughts whisking around in my head as I remembered what was expected of me on that chilly November morning. Maybe I didn't have to do it. Would I get away with it if I were to come home ill? No one would suspect, right? But although I was petrified with the thought of doing something daring for once in my life, I knew it had to be done. I was tired of being the boring, restricted, 'class A' student. I'd had enough of handing my homework in on time and being concerned when not understanding my work. I had to face it; I was a geek. The only way I could change that fact would be to start over; to be more daring and negative about school.

   I arrived at the classroom door, but instead of entering, I just stood, with a blank mind, pondering a last minute excuse to cancel my dare. My hands were shaking as if they had been forcefully held in an electric fruit mixer as I gradually began to twist the handle. I felt the force of the bulky door swing open as I cautiously edged into the classroom.

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"Where've you been, ay? Trying to avoid the details are we? Well it's no good misses, 'cause you're gonna hear 'em anyway! Ha!" Nadine peered up at me and observed my reaction as I realised that she knew. She was a scraggy, malodorous girl, who never took the time out to make herself look even remotely respectable. Her hair was excessively long and twisted at the ends. Her face looked as though she had been trampled on by a bull and her clothes were fairly clean, yet tatty and torn.

"Who told you about this? It was supposed to be ...

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